Animal Congregations, or What Do You Call a Group of.....?
So you're stuck on 15 down (the collective name for a group of rhinos) in today's crossword puzzle or you are writing the definitive novel about 17th century England and you need to know what they called a group of rooks, or perhaps you are into writing poetry and want to celebrate spring with a reference to larks. Whatever the motivating factor, we have received a spate of questions on collective nouns or group names for all sorts of critters. Perhaps the following, gleaned and compiled from several sources, will help. I've tried to indicate proper usage for terms that apply to a specific type of assemblage or to only a single gender or age, but some of my sources were fairly general. Where my sources disagreed on spelling, I let the majority rule. This listing exhausts the meager pile of references available at Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center; if the animal that you are interested in doesn't appear here, please, please, ask someone else, because I can't help you!
If you are interested in derivation of some of these names, or if you just want some fun reading, check out James Lipton's book entitled "An Exaltation of Larks" 2nd edition (Penguin Books 1977). Birders interested in avian nomenclature should see Bruce Campbell and Elizabeth Lack's "A Dictionary of Birds" (Buteo Books 1985).
Happy Trivia, Dave Fellows
| Mammals |
|---|
| Apes | A shrewdness |
| Asses | A pace |
| Badgers | A cete |
| Bats | A colony |
| Bears | A sloth, sleuth |
| Buffalo | A gang, an obstinacy (I suspect these refer to old world buffalo; use "herd" for American bison) |
| Cats | A clowder, a pounce; for kittens...A kindle, litter, an intrigue |
| Cattle | A drove, herd |
| Deer | A herd, bevy (refers only to roe deer) |
| Dogs | A litter (young), pack (wild), cowardice (of curs); specific to hounds...A cry, mute, pack, kennel |
| Elephants | A herd |
| Elk | A gang |
| Ferrets | A business |
| Fox | A leash, skulk, earth |
| Giraffes | A tower |
| Goats | A tribe, trip |
| Gorillas | A band |
| Hippopotamuses | A bloat |
| Horses | A team, harras, rag (for colts), stud (a group of horses belonging to a single owner, string (ponies) |
| Hyenas | A cackle |
| Kangaroos | A troop |
| Leopards | A leap |
| Lions | A pride |
| Martens | A richness |
| Moles | A labor |
| Monkeys | A troop, barrel |
| Mules | A pack, span, barren |
| Otters | A romp |
| Oxen | A team, yoke |
| Pigs | A drift, drove, litter (young), sounder (of swine), team, passel (of hogs), singular (refers to a group of boars) |
| Porcupines | A prickle |
| Rabbits | A colony, warren, nest, herd (domestic only), litter (young); specific to hares...A down, husk |
| Rhinoceroses | A crash |
| Seals | A pod, herd |
| Sheep | A drove, flock, herd |
| Squirrels | A dray, scurry |
| Tigers | A streak |
| Whales | A pod, gam, herd |
| Wolves | A pack, rout or route (when in movement) |
| Birds |
|---|
| Birds in general | A flight (in the air), flock (on the ground), volary, brace (generally for gamebirds or waterfowl, referring to a pair or couple killed by a hunter) |
| Bitterns | A sedge |
| Buzzards | A wake |
| Bobolinks | A chain |
| Chicks (of many species) | A brood; clutch |
| Coots | A cover |
| Cormorants | A gulp |
| Cranes | A sedge |
| Crows | A murder, horde |
| Dotterel | A trip |
| Doves | A dule, pitying (specific to turtle doves) |
| Ducks | A brace, flock (in flight), raft (on water) team, paddling (on water), badling |
| Eagles | A convocation |
| Finches | A charm |
| Flamingos | A stand |
| Geese | A flock, gaggle (on the ground), skein (in flight) |
| Grouse | A pack (in late season) |
| Gulls | A colony |
| Hawks | A cast, kettle (flying in large numbers), boil (two or more spiraling in flight) |
| Herons | A sedge, a siege |
| Jays | A party, scold |
| Lapwings | A deceit |
| Larks | An exaltation |
| Mallards | A sord (in flight), brace |
| Magpies | A tiding, gulp, murder, charm |
| Nightingales | A watch |
| Owls | A parliament |
| Parrots | A company |
| Partridge | A covey |
| Peacocks | A muster, an ostentation |
| Penguins | A colony |
| Pheasant | A nest, nide (a brood), nye, bouquet |
| Plovers | A congregation, wing (in flight) |
| Ptarmigans | A covey |
| Rooks | A building |
| Quail | A bevy, covey |
| Ravens | An unkindness |
| Snipe | A walk, a wisp |
| Sparrows | A host |
| Starlings | A murmuration |
| Storks | A mustering |
| Swallows | A flight |
| Swans | A bevy, wedge (in flight) |
| Teal | A spring |
| Turkeys | A rafter, gang |
| Widgeons | A company |
| Woodcocks | A fall |
| Woodpeckers | A descent |
| Reptiles and Amphibians |
|---|
| Crocodiles | A bask |
| Frogs | An army |
| Toads | A knot |
| Turtles | A bale, nest |
| Snakes, vipers | A nest |
| Fish |
|---|
| Fish in general | A draft, nest, school, shoal (some authors claim that the common "school" is a corruption of shoal, and therefore incorrect) |
| Bass | A shoal |
| Herring | An army |
| Sharks | A shiver |
| Trout | A hover |
| Invertebrates |
|---|
| Ants | A colony |
| Bees | A grist, hive, swarm |
| Caterpillars | An army |
| Clams | A bed |
| Cockroaches | An intrusion |
| Flies | A business |
| Gnats | A cloud, horde |
| Grasshoppers | A cloud |
| Hornets | A nest |
| Jellyfish | A smack |
| Locusts | A plague |
| Oysters | A bed |
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